Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Review

The recent release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been like a shock to the system, with Apple selling over 10 million of the handsets over the opening weekend alone. These devices impact the mobile market—and really, the wider world too—in ways that can be frustrating for fans of rival systems. But Apple has long made terrific hardware. The big change this year is that it now has more open software and services to match.

And if you're Samsung, Microsoft/Nokia, or any other competitor in the devices space especially, that means you're on notice: Many—but not all—of the advantages you had over Apple are quickly disappearing. This, I think, is the real story of this year's iPhones. Apple, finally, is answering its critics and addressing the holes in its strategy in ways that make sense for real users.

By comparison, Apple's iPhone-related releases last year were more mixed. The firm updated the year-old iPhone 5 design into the predictable iPhone 5S, which contained one major hardware advance, the Touch ID-based home button that will now slowly make its way across all of Apple's devices. It shipped a second new iPhone model for the first time, the plastic iPhone 5C, which was basically a year-old iPhone 5 in a cheaper body, but was not actually an inexpensive device. And it rocked the user base with a radical new version of its mobile OS, iOS 7, which utilizes many of the same design cues Microsoft pioneered in Windows Phone back in 2010.

This year, everything is different.

Yes, iOS 8 looks and works almost exactly like iOS 7, leading some to believe this isn't a major update. But don't be fooled: Under the covers, iOS 8 is a full embodiment of Tim Cook's new, more open Apple, with extensibility hooks for health, inter-app sharing, keyboards and more. There's no single major feature, just hundreds of smaller, but very important updates. Put simply, iOS 8 is huge.

iPhone 6 Plus (left), iPhone 6 (middle) and iPhone 5S

And with its new iPhones, Apple is likewise opening up, albeit in a different way, by actually answering the clarion calls of its user base—and, more important, those who had held out on iPhone for various reasons—but giving the people what they want. Sleeker designs with no hard-edge metal edges and glass backs. Larger—much larger—screen sizes that match those of the Android competition.

Before proceeding, please check out my previous iPhone 6 articles. Rather than repeat myself, I'd rather focus on some more general observations here in the review.

There are two new iPhone models again this year, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. The smaller of the two, the iPhone 6—which is always about $100 cheaper than a comparable iPhone 6 Plus—is the better buy and the better phone, and the obvious choice for iPhone upgraders. The device itself is thinner and lighter than the iPhone 6 Plus, of course, and hits a nice balance that is close to the 5-inch smart phone nice sweet spot.

iPhone 5S (top), iPhone 6 (middle) and iPhone 6 Plus (bottom)

The iPhone 6 Plus is simply too big. It's just about as big as the Nokia Lumia 1520, which features a 6-inch screen, and elicits the same startled gasps from onlookers. Except in this case the question isn't "what the heck is that thing?" so much as a disbelieving "Is ... that ... the new iPhone??" It's still a beautiful device—and thin and even light given its size—but it's not for everyone.

Lumia 1520 (left) and iPhone 6 Plus

But I am curious about the use case here. After all, phablets are a popular and growing segment of the smart phone market, a crossover device that can serve as both a phone and a mini-tablet. So in my travels over the past two weeks, I used the iPhone 6 Plus like that, loading it up with games, rented movies, e-books and audiobooks, news apps, and so on, trying to see whether this one device could serve as two. And it can. Sort of.

The issue, of course, is that the iPhone 6 Plus is too big for a smart phone. It's hard to pull out of your pocket, hard to use with just one hand, and awkward in general. It can't really fit in a shirt pocket and will fall out if you bend over.

As a mini-tablet, the iPhone 6 Plus is conversely too small, and since Apple doesn't provide a Smart Cover or Smart Case for this handset, you need to either hold it or figure out a third party solution for propping it up when watching content. Subtitles and captions in videos are small and hard to read. These are big problems on a plane, for example, but not so much if you're lying in bed.

That said, I give Apple major props for the battery life of the iPhone 6 Plus, which is absolutely the best I've ever seen in a smart phone. I didn't try this while traveling, but in regular use at home—where it replaced my Kindle and was used every day throughout the day—I was routinely able to get over a day and a half of life before the battery needed to be charged. I've never seen a modern smart phone last more than a day.

As for iOS, Apple has made some interesting advances in iOS 8—including some good iPhone 6 and 6 Plus-specific features, but it's still not addressed the central issue of its now overly-simplistic user interface. If you look at your iPhone home screen, you see a grid of icons and some of them have little number notifications on them (Mail displays the number of new emails, for example), but that's it. There's no real dynamic content, and certainly nothing like the "glance and go" of Windows Phone's Start screen.

I've been harping on this for years, so I won't drag this review down too far here, but let me provide one obvious real world example. In Windows Phone, I can pin the Weather app's live tile on my Start screen, resize it and position it as I like, and just glance at my screen to see the forecast. I can likewise take advantage of unique app platform features in Windows Phone to pin the forecast for other locations on my Start screen. I could have 10 Weather live tiles on my Start screen if I wanted.

Windows Phone live tiles support dynamic displays, like the Weather app forecasts seen above

In iOS, there's a weather app. You can configure multiple locations, sure. But you can't see the forecast for your current or any other location unless you actually launch the app or pull down the Notification Center and navigate to the Today view if it's not there already. If you just glance at your screen, all you see is a static Weather icon. It doesn't even change based on the weather. It's just a cloud with a sun behind it. Even when it's snowing.

iOS icons, like Weather on the right, are static

In Windows Phone, these capabilities work for Mail, for Calendar, for Facebook, for any app that chooses to use them. It makes the system more efficient, and more enjoyable. In iOS, you're always going in and out of apps. In and out. In and out. I call it "whack a mole." You need to memorize icon designs and placements. You do the work. Not the phone.

It's only a matter of time before Apple fixes this serious issue. (Android has a partial solution with its widgets, though those are inconsistently implemented and not ideal.) In the meantime, iOS 8 has a number of advances that I like quite a bit. The system is now extensible—which I'm sure has Steve Jobs rolling in his grave—so third parties can add to the Share functionality, extend the browser, or even replace the onscreen keyboard. There's an integrated Health platform that I'm sure will quickly squash rival systems, as will Apple Pay, the mobile payment platform that finally (appears to) get it all right. (It doesn't launch until later this month.) And the coming Apple Watch will redefine wearables, I'm sure of it.

If you're a Microsoft user, all the apps are there, though I'd like to see the option of using Office for iPad on this iPhone 6 Plus, which is just about big enough for that to make sense. (You get the same Office Mobile we see on Windows Phone, Android and iPhone.) This is a much better platform, for now at least, for the Microsoft user than is Android. And some Microsoft apps, like the recently announced Office Sway, are iPhone-only or iPhone-first. This is not a second class experience.

One of my big complaints about previous iPhones was phone call quality. When I used to call my wife from busy and loud locations—a city street, or a Las Vegas casino, for example—she would complain that she could hear the background sounds more than me. Switching to Windows Phone fixed that, as she immediately noticed and commented on four years ago. But this past week in San Francisco, my wife asked me which phone I was using. When I told her it was the iPhone 6 Plus, she couldn't believe it. "But I can actually hear you," she said. "And the call sounds great."

The camera is excellent. I did some quick tests trying to figure out how or whether the optical image stabilization that is unique to the iPhone 6 Plus (for some reason) put that version of the camera over the top, but to no avail. Both cameras take excellent photos, on par with the iPhone 5S but still well below what is possible with the Lumia 1020, 1520, or Icon/930. But the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus camera has many advantages over any Lumia, including a lightning-quick shutter, built-in slow-mo, time lapse, and panorama modes, and built-in filters that the Instagram set will love. Ultimately, the high-end Lumias are better cameras, quality-wise. But the iPhone 6 camera is a better camera for normal people.

There's been a lot written about these phones, and it's unlikely I will do much to convince anyone to buy or ignore either one. But I'll add this, with the understanding that I've owned almost every iPhone ever made, used the original iPhone, an iPhone 3G, and two iPhone 3GS models regularly before switching full-time to Windows Phone: These are fantastic, leading edge smart phone handsets. They are well made, and are supported by the best app, game and content ecosystems on earth. I'm not a fan of the overly simplistic user interface, but whatever, it works.

Both of these phones are gorgeous and expensive to match. Unless you are absolutely positive you can handle the larger iPhone 6 Plus, go with the iPhone 6. It will save you a bit of cash and provide a better experience.

Folks, the days of the laughably small iPhones are just about over. (Apple still sells the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C for the cash-constrained.) And if those tiny screens turned you off before, it's time to take another look. Combined with the advances in iOS 8, the iPhone 6 in particular is arguably the best smart phone currently available.

The iPhone 6 is highly recommended. The iPhone 6 Plus is recommended, but only if you really understand the sheer size of this beast.

Note: Looking ahead, I'll be using the iPhone 6 Plus to assess Apple Pay, the Apple Watch, and future Microsoft apps and app updates on iOS. But I will personally continue to use Windows Phone.

Discuss this Article 34

What is a bit depressing - from the point of view of a Windows Phone fan like myself - is that it doesn't sound as if a great Lumia 1030, for you, could surpass the iPhone 6. More like, if Apple figures out Widgets/Live-Tiles, the competitors are screwed...

Overall the iPhone 6 and 6 plus are excellent devices, though basically Apple catching up in many features, but as usual then doing it in more intuitive refined way on several ends.

The one thing that's right now a deal breaker for me is something totally unexpected: If you like to turn on the speaker on your phone during phone calls, it is now completely broken for that usage.
I bought my Mom an iPhone 6 (basically i only use it for testing my apps on it in between, other than that she can have it most of the day =) ).
I had bought her a 4S before (several years ago obviously) and she was fine with that, though the screen was a bit small for her, not being the youngest nor having the best eyes, she had difficulty reading some small things on it and the keyboard was really hard for her to use in that size, too.

I haven't bought her one of the larger Android phones since well, shes not enough into computers/computing devices so i thought the best choice was the most intuitive to use one in this case and there iOS wins hands down.

So yeah, then it felt ideal to get her an iPhone 6, bigger sharp screen, should be great for her.

Well, that part is actually great for her.

The part that surprisingly turned out to be very bad for her is that she right now actually can't use it as a phone.

The way my Mom (and actually lots of other not just older people) used her previous phone was that when she'd have a phone call she would actually not hold the phone to her ear, no, instead she turned on the speaker and held it a bit away from her (unles sin an evironment with lots of other people around her obviously).
I see more and more people using their phone in calls that way, it may be for many reasons, in my Mom's case it was so she could hold it in relaxed form and at the same time hear the other person well.
Again, due to her age, she actually can't use the phone well when not turning on the speaker.

So yeah, that use case worked very well for her (and millions of other people) with the iPhone 4s.

Fast forward to the iPhone 6:
What happens there when during a phone call you toggle on the speaker is that yes, you can hear the other person loud and well, but in return the other person can't hear you at all anymore.
Because as soon as you turn on the speaker feature while not holding it to your ear, it somehow seems to think your voice is environment noise and hence then totally tones down your voice volume to the degree where the person on the other end can't hear you anymore.

I've read about others having this issue on a few sites now and some there suggested that one should go into the settings and there under accessibility disable the noise cancellation.
I tried that, but sadly no matter whether i turn it on or off, it seems to have no effect (maybe its always on and that toggle is broken, dunno), as soon as you turn on the speaker, your voice is completely toned down for the person on the other end.

It is also very obviously a software side thing, because as soon as you toggle on the speaker and say something, its like for a brief moment your voice still comes out in usual volume on the other's phone, but then a sec or two later that toning down kicks in and so your voice is not hearable at all anymore to the person on the other phone.

As soon as you toggle off the speaker, your voice is levelled up again in volume so the person on the other end can hear you again.

I sent a bug report on this to Apple and hope they fix it soon with a OS update, cause yeah, as it is, that one bug right there makes the not that cheap phone i bought there for my Mom to use completely useless to her as a phone.

Bummer =)

Besides that, yes, very good devices overall.

[edit] Ha! Now all is working well with my Mom's iPhone 6 =)
Turned out something was covering that mic on the back of the phone and that then leads to it toning down the volume when one has turned on the speaker.
Still weird to me that it does that then even when one disabled noise reduction in the settings (still not sure if that toggle actually does anything), but yeah, at least my Mom can use it well now =)
[/edit]

Paul, I never considered the iphone to be "laughably small". The 5 inch sweet spot depends on the person. I have good eyesight and don't have gorilla hands, so my 4 inch 520 is the perfect size.
A 5 inch phone would be better to browse the internet, but not better for the 95% of the time it sits in my pocket.

My previous phone was a 3.2 inch android. When I look back now it seems a bit small, but still not "laughably small".

We maybe in the minority... but I agree. To be honest I've gotten used to the iPhone 6 already, but it's not perfect. Using my old iPhone 5S does seem like a bit of a toy now, but there's something so 'right' about that size.

If a premium (say Surface) Windows Phone came out, I'd be all over it... but if it were any bigger than the iPhone 6 I just couldn't bare it.

Thanks for you review. I just moved from the lumia 928 to ip 6 plus. So far I like the iPhone and the "openness" iOS 8 has added with extensions really make a big difference. I don't feel as constraint as before when I tried out the iPhone 5 two yrs ago. I do miss various things that windows phone had right. The pinning to "start screen" was awesome and so useful! I would pin a location I was going to go to later that day and all I had to do was open it up and have it start navigation. Small things like that. I love how the iPhone has all the MS apps like one note and office 365. I just downloaded them to the iPhone and like magic I can pick up where I left off. I miss the dedicated camera button and even the little capacitive "Home" windows button! It is quite annoying on iPhone that you have to actually press down on the home button to go back to the home screen. The WP capacitive button was just a tap away. I find myself just tapping at the iPhone's home always get annoyed it required so much force to initiate the button. Even though the larger eco system exist, I somehow feel WP app market wasn't all that bad. Like say Splashtop remote software is free on WP and I've used it regularly, but going to iPhone, it's a $2.99 (on sale reg. is $9.99), but I'm sure the same can be said for WP.

All in all, I'm glad I moved to iPhone, but will be keeping an eye on WP. I look forward to the Denim release and the next flagship phone. (Shoutout to you, Leo, and Mary Jo @windowsweekly)

Sorry for being off topic, but this bugs me,
I really don't get why you spruik the live tiles on Windows Phone as something unique, it just really isn't.
Widgets on Android is not a partial solution at all, it is a core feature of Android, their are crap loads of widgets for Android and they do many differen't things, of which id argue are more flexible than live tiles.
Saying you can view you weather forecast on the start page is hardly amazing, ive been doing that on Android for several years, same with calendar and email and so on....
For someone who supposedly has used Android, well you seem pretty ignorant about it, I suppose for a Windows guys its understandable!

Widgets generally kinda suck. They can be powerful, more powerful than live tiles, but most app developers implement them badly and inconsistently. Android screen layout dramatically limits the number of widgets you can have on your home screen. The biggest problem is that most android icons don't have badges that show a counter. The stupid hangouts app doesn't tell you how many new messages you have unless you look at the notification center.

All in all, widgets are better than what Apple has. Apples icons are way better than Androids. Live tiles are dramatically better than both. Once live tiles become actionable, it'll be a runaway. But, if Apple gets something like tiles in iOS 9 (they probably will) everyone else is in trouble.

I agree. I think Paul has written very fair and reasonable assessments of the different mobile OSes, but this assumption that live tiles are better doesn't wash with me - the only example I ever see of how they are beneficial is for weather apps. For everything else I genuinely think that notifications are a better way of keeping the user up to date with what's going on. Sorry Paul, I just don't think this is the weakness in iOS that you make it out to be.

And I think iPhone resistance to change that grid of static icons is a deal breaker for me to leave Windows Phone. If WP someday dies and I have to choose, I would go to Android (because of the widgets).

Paul, yes I agree with all that you have said. Most of the people that I know own iPhones and Samsungs. They have them because they are the most popular by virtue of the fact that the Phone companies steer them towards these products (iPhone, Galaxy S3/S4's etc.) and most of their friends have them. These people will never switch to another platform unless there is a compelling reason to do so. For these people - most of whom are technically challenged - they just want to phone, text, take pictures, look at pictures, Facebook, perhaps Twitter. And that is it.

I have been using Windows Phone since it came out and I know my way around it quite well. But it is the simple things that impress, captivate or make people switch. For example why doesn't MSFT spend some time fine tuning Windows Phone to do something that almost all of do every day and need a better solution for. Using a Phone in the car when you are driving. I notice that with Cortana, when a text arrives Cortana reads it out and allows you to reply. All of this can be accomplished without touching your phone. Why not extend this to receiving phone calls. Cortana could, for example do the following

- Incoming call from Fred Bloggs or from xxxxxxx (if the name didn't exist in your contact list), would you like to answer this call or take a message?

This is a real would example of something that is useful that just might make someone switch camps. Extending this capability to writing and sending emails would also prove most useful. Especially when driving and if something comes to mind (which often does for me) you can become more productive.

Re: " For these people - most of whom are technically challenged." I hear that (incorrect IMHO) meme all the time regarding iOS but I can't recall it being hurled at Android before. Maybe it means "prefers a non-windows platform" in your lexicon?

It's not hurled at Android, it's hurled at Galaxy devices. The vast majority of smartphone buyers are techno-novices and laggards, as are most humans not coincidentally.

Those people, in any industry, almost always buy the market leader and whatever is recommended by the sales person. Not what is the most powerful, or the best fit for their needs. They don't use 10% of their phones capabilities.

Most people are technically challenged and most people buy iPhones and galaxy's. It's a statistical fact.

So. To recap. The two brilliant innovations of the iPhone six is that Apple finally cracked open (to some minor extent...) the Black Box that was iOS, and finally managed to build a phone with a screen bigger than a postage stamp?

You know, just like the Android models I've been using for years now? Is that substantially it?

It's absolutely maddening to listen to Apple fanboys. Big screen? It was stupid and unnecessary - until Apple did it, and now it's essential. Open OS? Stupid and unnecessary - until Apple did it, now essential. Budget model phone? Stupid and unnecessary - until Apple did it, now essential.

"Budget model phone? Stupid and unnecessary - until Apple did it, now essential." are you referring to the selling of last years phone at reduced price as the "Budget model phone"? I may be wrong but I think Apple has sold the previous model iPhone at a reduced price since the second iteration. 'The hyperbole is strong with this one'.

Good review and nice photos, Paul. For me, the iPhone 6+ has turned out to be an almost perfect size, although admittedly I'm a big guy, who wears big jeans, with big pockets. I have it fitted with an Apple silicone case, which makes it very easy to handle.

I also find that it works very well as a mini tablet. More and more, I'm reaching for the 6+ instead of my iPad Air. I'm disappointed that the Microsoft Office apps aren't available on the 6+, but maybe that will change. Better integration with OneDrive would also be nice.

I figure I will always have a personal Windows desktop machine; I can't imagine being without one. But for now, Apple's phones and tablets are working for me.

With every new OS release from either iOS or Android, there is less and less reason to consider a Windows phone. As you pointed out recently Paul, both Apple and Google will take the appealing parts of Windows phone like live tiles, and make them part of their OSs. I'm afraid that WP will never have the necessary support (with all that implies) from developers and the public, for it to be much more than it is today. I think that for as long as it is around, it will always have a few somewhat minor advantages over the competition, but not enough for widespread adoption. I hope I'm of course.

The iPhone 6 plus practically begs for large active tiles. It could easily hold 40 icons, but as it is it still has 28 with a lot of wasted space. That's just too much. Allowing the top half to be used by 4 - 6 dynamic widgets would make the phone so much more practical.

I don't think office for iPad would work. It does well on the 4:3 ratio iPad. On the 16:9 iPhone it would be too narrow in portrait mode and the ribbon would use 1/4 of the screen in landscape mode.

I hope they get Gemini right for Windows Phone and Windows Metro first and then port them to other platforms later. A well designed office app and a widely available flagship across most carriers is what Microsoft needs to make further progress in the phone market. Maybe then other app programmers will fill out the gaps in the Windows store. Hopefully they'll do something spectacular coinciding with the Windows 10 launch middle of next year.

Good review. Readers should be warned about even iPhone 6 phones being very prone to bend at the button area of the phone. My wife has had her 6(not 6+) for ten days now and it has been in a case since she bought it. She is very careful with the device. The worst part is apple refuses to address the iPhone 6 bend issues. They have an internal press release stating they cannot do anything on the 6 (only the 6+). The senior rep at the apple store slides to taking it back to the att store and lying about it having issues which doesn't seem right. If we go to att and tell them the truth they say they can't help us and that we need to go to the apple store. I'm sensing it is only a matter of time before there is a class action suit. Apple has stated there have only been 9 reported cases. Well consider this 10. And the iPhone 6 is flawed as well. Hopefully they can keep count next time they need to make a press release.

As a former BlackBerry user who relies heavily on a phone to organize contacts, appointments and email, moving to Windows Phone was the next best thing. WP lacks some helpful controls for dealing with calendars and reminders, but it offers the live tiles which are great. Before Windows Phone I tried an iPhone and didn't care for the lack of a back button, among many other things. Doing things on an iPhone was like riding a merry-go-round. The phone only worked in one direction and you had to wait for something to come around a second time to get it done. Then I tried two Android phones and they drove me crazy trying to figure out how to do basic customizations with email and calendars. Probably the presentation layers of Motorola and Samsung screwing up the experience. Many family and friends who get Android phones ask me how to do certain things -- I send them back to their carriers for help. I can figure out iPhone. If Microsoft kills Windows Phone (which I often worry about), I guess my only choice is an iPhone 6, but I will stick with my Lumia 928 for now. Any word on when Verizon will finally provide 8.1 for 928s?

Live tiles is not as big a difference as you make it seem. All those things mentioned can be viewed via notifications even on the lock screen by a swipe down. Not sure if live tiles can be viewed on WP lock screen without a similar swipe? iOS 8 notifications has improved quite a bit and quite customizable with apps. Control center (swipe up on lock screen) is pretty indispensable too.

I think screen size preference on a phone is very subjective. What is ridiculously small to some and ridiculously large to some may seem just right to others. My wife - not upgrading. She wishes that Apple had also offered a phone with an iPhone 5 screen size with the form factor of the new phones. Other women I've talked to either a. have regretted their decision to buy the iphone6 or b. still prefer the smaller phones. So my own anecdotal evidence at least says there is still a market for smaller smartphones.

Remember the days we had the giant cell phones and wished and wished they would just make ones that are smaller....

Paul, thanks for the honest review of the iPhone. A new client of mine dropped her iPhone 5 and only half her screen worked. She decided she didn't want to repair it (she could only get 6 hours of battery life) but really didn't want to spend $650 for a new iPhone. I told her about the Nokia 635 (I have a 920). We went to ATT and after showing her the Nokia, she liked it much better than the iPhone. When she saw the live tiles, she thought that was brilliant. She paid $140 at ATT and bought the phone outright (and she can unlock if desired) and she got a $45 month unlimited calls & text with a 300MB data plan. This is less than half what she was paying Verizon monthly with her aging iPhone. She text me later saying so happy with the quality of the Nokia now that her contacts, emails and files are all connected seamlessly via outlook.com. Now, for the first time, she can see all her pics on her phone because they are saved on her new OneDrive. I really don't see the advantage of an overpriced phone that is 'somewhat' better in some respects but still doesn't have a home screen with dynamic icons and it can't connect contacts, emails, calendar and files as well as a Windows phone. I think Apple phones have now gone from 'cool' to 'catch-up'. It just isn't worth the money....unless you've drunk too much of the apple flavored cool-aid!

I keep hearing that the iPhone 6 camera is better for "normal people", but don't normal people want to zoom? Zooming (without totally destroying the photo) is not a pro feature, but it is missing from most smartphone cameras including the iPhone 6.